14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced that the original version of Microsoft Edge would be removed in April as part of the Patch Tuesday updates.
While Microsoft Edge Legacy would thus get the ax, all devices will be provided with the new Chromium-powered browser as an alternative, and Microsoft says everything will happen with the upcoming cumulative updates.
In other words, one browser goes and another one steps in, and the change will be powered by the April Patch Tuesday updates shipped to Windows 10 devices.
“To replace this out of support application, we are announcing that the new Microsoft Edge will be available as part of the Windows 10 cumulative monthly security update—otherwise referred to as the Update Tuesday (or “B”) release—on April 13, 2021. When you apply this update to your devices, the out of support Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop application will be removed and the new Microsoft Edge will be installed. The new Microsoft Edge offers built-in security and our best interoperability with the Microsoft security ecosystem, all while being more secure than Chrome for businesses on Windows 10,” Microsoft explains.
Happening on nearly all Windows 10 versions
The change will also happen if you install the optional Windows 10 cumulative updates shipped as a preview to devices running the latest operating system.
Microsoft explains the following Windows 10 versions will be impacted:
- Windows 10, version 1803, all editions (April 2018)
- Windows 10, version 1809, all editions (October 2018)
- Windows 10, version 1903, all editions (May 2019)
- Windows 10, version 1909, all editions (October 2019)
- Windows 10, version 2004, all editions (May 2020)
Windows 10 version 20H2 devices wouldn’t be provided with the new Edge because it’s already pre-loaded with the operating system, so the April cumulative update would only remove the legacy version of the browser.